As Mario Cristobal settles into his role as head football coach at the University of Oregon, he does it with sincere thanks for all the coaches and mentors who came before him, starting with his father.
When Cristobal was growing up, his dad, a Cuban immigrant, worked two jobs and went to night school to learn English and support his young family in Miami. Cristobal recalls his father’s mantra: Never get outworked.
“That stuck,” Cristobal said.
Coaching insights
Thanks to the Amway Coaches’ Poll partnership between Amway, USA TODAY and the American Football Coaches Association, Cristobal and Amway Independent Business Owner Anthony Melillo shared their coaching and mentoring insights for a piece published at USATODAY.com.
The dedication Cristobal saw from his father and other coaches throughout his life is what inspires him today to work hard to build relationships with his own team, working alongside them and preparing them to become leaders themselves.
Trust is key
“This whole thing has got to be based on trust, and there is no way you can trust each other unless you have worked your tail off with each other and by each other,” Cristobal said. “That’s the only way accountability is going to come about.
“You’d be surprised at what comes out of you, not to mention what comes back at you.”
Coaching off the field
Melillo, from Westchester, N.Y., said relationship building is key to the business support provided through the Amway opportunity, too.
“When you build a relationship first and really understand where the people on your team are coming from, they know you’re going to be with them through the challenges, not just when there’s financial benefit,” Melillo said. “That’s when you can really pull the best out of somebody.”
For more insights from Melillo and Cristobal, including a video interview of Cristobal see the full story at USATODAY.com.
